Writer: Peter Duncan
Artist: Andrew Pawley
The Comic: Meet the Cthulhu Kids at The Miskatonic Academy for Outer Entities- the most exclusive school in the multiverse for the children of Elder Things and Outer Gods! A mash up of vintage kids comics and the existential terror of an infinite universe.
The Review: What do you get when you mash up classic 1960s-inspired British humour comics dominated by the likes of creators Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid with a colourful, all-ages and funny take on the Cthulhu mythos? You get a project like Cthulhu Kids, which is, indeed, often very funny, with a script that’s scattered with tips of the hat to the Lovecraft source material from Peter Duncan (also Editor in Chief at Splank! comics), and some great art from Andrew Pawley, the creator of GalaXafreaks Comics.
There’s some wonderful Ken Reid-style type gags in this comic, and Peter Duncan’s encyclopedic knowledge of Lovecraft Mythos has clearly fuelled the story. Not only does Cthulhu Kids pay homage to the comics of the 60s through to the craziness of Oink! in the 1980s – it’s also a title that appeals to those who’ve will only just begun reading the Beano.
While on occasion the story does make some peculiar leaps that might throw younger readers it’s overall great fun, with smashing art from Dorset-based artist Andrew Pawley. There’s the kind of gruesome goings on you’d expect, but these are all totally slapstick and in keeping with the team’s aim of creating a title that is simply a delight to read.
About as gruesome as this comic gets – and funny with it!
Cthullu Kids is exactly what it says on the tin – a fun, all-ages comic. With the added bonus of a funny final strip “Hail to the Chief”, that’s absolutely in no way taking a swipe at the Most Powerful Man on the Planet. No siree…
Where Can I Buy This?
• Cthulhu Kids is available from boxofrainmag.co.uk – price £8 inc P&P or £12 for Cthulhu Kids 1 and Splank! – Paypal, to Splank@boxofrainmag.co.uk
• You can also find out more about the Cthullu Kids Project here on Facebook
Wait, There Is more!
• If this sounds like the sorts of bonkers fun you’d enjoy, then you may also be interested in the Cthulhu Kids: Cosmic Catastrophe, currently seeking finding on Kickstarter – a battle card game that introduces the concept of augmented attack scoring. With 24 character cards this exciting game is also a fantastic way to open up the mind bending universe of the Cthulhu Mythos!
John Freeman
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek Magazine) and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare”. He’s the writer of "Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies" for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Reviews
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